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Former Indian para-athlete and Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) president Devendra Jhajaria termed the performance of his athletes at Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2026 as a "storm of medals", as they secured a total of seven medals, including three golds.
Six of 16 athletics medals, including three gold medals, came from para-athletes, while a bronze medal in the men's heavyweight para-powerlifting category by Jhandu Kumar marked this as the best CWG campaign ever for para-athletes, with a total of seven medals. Several heartwarming stories of hard work, resilience and perseverance came to light during their campaign. Speaking to ANI about the athletes' performance in Glasgow, he said, "This CWG was not just a moment; it was a storm of medals for para-athletes. I would like to congratulate all those athletes. In the last four CWGs, we were only able to win five medals, now we have got seven medals from para-athletics, including three gold medals." Jhajaria higlighted the story of shot put para-athlete Sharmila Dhankar, who went from suffering hardships like domestic abuse in her marriage to winning a CWG gold medal in the shot put F57 event, with a season-best throw of 9.81 metres. He also hailed the story of Soman Rana, another para-athlete who won a gold in men's F57 shot put gold. The athlete is an army personnel and had lost his left leg in a landmine accident. "Sharmila Dhankar has a unique story of her own. Her struggle and success show that if someone works hard, they can become a world champion. Soman Rana is also an Army personnel, who also faced an injury, but also won a gold medal," he said. He also highlighted the record-breaking gold medal of Dilip Gavit in the men's 100 m T47 event, with a CWG record of 10.71 seconds as another major highlight, saying that during the final few seconds of his race, he "did not just run, he flew". He also highlighted the efforts put in by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the love and effort he has shown for the upliftment of para-athletes. "I also want to congratulate Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the love and facilities he has provided to para-athletes. Today, we are advancing in sports science." I also thank the Sports Authority of India, the Sports Ministry, and all our PCI members who are working hard," he said. He also pointed out that the para-athletics head coach Satya managed the team really well and helped them acclimatise to the cold climate, saying, "Our coach Satyanarayanji managed the team really well. It was a bit cold there. But he had warned us in advance about the cold; these are the technical things we worked on beforehand." "Finally, I extend my best wishes to the 140 crore Indians who encouraged these athletes with their applause." The Asian Para Games are coming ahead, and I am hopeful that history will once again be made for India," he signed off. India concluded a memorable Commonwealth Games campaign in Glasgow with 39 medals -- 13 gold, 17 silver and nine bronze -- to finish fourth in the overall standings. The contingent matched the fourth-place finish achieved at Birmingham 2022 despite competing in a significantly reduced sports programme, with Ahmedabad now set to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games. (ANI)
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